15 February 2012 Last updated at 03:20 ET Researchers behind a pilot study in the South West say they are saving lives and improving recovery from the country's third biggest killer. The Peninsula Medical School in Exeter is working with the ambulance service and hospitals to cut the time it takes to get treatment for stroke victims. They have doubled the number of patients who get clot-busting treatment within the crucial first three hours. More than 2,000 people die from strokes each year in Devon and Cornwall. Exeter University researchers have used computer simulations to analyse patient journeys from 999 calls to treatment to identify bottlenecks in the system. 'Identify delays' James Wenman, clinical development manager for the South Western ambulance service, said: "The hospital can get the stroke co-ordinators, consultants and the CT scanner ready so that when the patient arrives they can make that quick transition from the ambulance on to the scanner. "Then we can determine if they need that [clot busting] life saving drug." Dr Martin James, a Stroke Consultant at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital said: "It's not possible for a paramedic to administer clot busting treatment in somebody's home. "People need to have … Continue reading →

Washington, Feb 16 (ANI)): Scientists have found that gene mutations that shorten the largest human protein are behind idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a familial heart disease. For decades, researchers have sought a genetic explanation for DCM, a weakening and enlargement of the heart that puts million of people at risk of heart failure each year. Because idiopathic DCM occurs as a familial disorder, researchers have long searched for genetic causes, but for most patients the etiology for their heart disease remained unknown. Now, new work from the lab of Christine Seidman, a Howard Hughes Investigator and the Thomas W. Smith Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Jonathan Seidman, the Henrietta B. and Frederick H. Bugher Foundation Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, has found that mutations in the gene TTN account for 18 percent of sporadic and 25 percent of familial DCM. "Until the development of modern DNA sequencing platforms, the enourmous size of the TTN gene prevented a comprehensive analyses - but now we know TTN is a major cause of DCM," said Christine. DCM may cause shortness of breath, chest pain, and limited exercise capacity. DCM increases the … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO — A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack. The approach potentially could improve cardiac function, minimize scar size, lead to the development of new blood vessels – and avoid the risk of tissue rejection. In the investigation, reported online in the journal PLoS ONE, UCSF researchers isolated and characterized a novel type of cardiac stem cell from the heart tissue of middle-aged mice following a heart attack. Then, in one experiment, they placed the cells in the culture dish and showed they had the ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, or “beating heart cells,” as well as endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, all of which make up the heart. In another, they made copies, or “clones,” of the cells and engrafted them in the tissue of other mice of the same genetic background who also had experienced heart attacks. The cells induced angiogenesis, or blood vessel growth, or differentiated, or specialized, into endothelial and smooth muscle cells, improving cardiac function.   “These findings are very exciting,” said first author Jianqin Ye, Ph.D., M.D., senior scientist at UCSF’s Translational Cardiac Stem Cell Program. … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Feb. 15, 2012) — A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack. The approach potentially could improve cardiac function, minimize scar size, lead to the development of new blood vessels -- and avoid the risk of tissue rejection. In the investigation, reported online in the journal PLoS ONE, the researchers isolated and characterized a novel type of cardiac stem cell from the heart tissue of middle-aged mice following a heart attack. Then, in one experiment, they placed the cells in the culture dish and showed they had the ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, or "beating heart cells," as well as endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, all of which make up the heart. In another, they made copies, or "clones," of the cells and engrafted them in the tissue of other mice of the same genetic background who also had experienced heart attacks. The cells induced angiogenesis, or blood vessel growth, or differentiated, or specialized, into endothelial and smooth muscle cells, improving cardiac function. "These findings are very exciting," said first author Jianqin Ye, PhD, MD, senior scientist at UCSF's Translational Cardiac Stem Cell … Continue reading →

A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. This is certainly exciting news considering heart failure is still the No. 1 cause of death in men and women. The study included 25 heart attack victims, 17 of whom got the stem cell treatment. Those patients saw a 50% reduction in cardiac scar tissue after one year, while the eight control patients saw no improvement. The procedure involves removing a tiny portion of heart tissue through a needle, cultivating the stem cells from that tissue, and reinserting them in a second minimally invasive procedure, according to Bloomberg. "If we can regenerate the whole heart, then the patient would be completely normal," said Eduardo Marban, director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute who was the study's lead author. "We haven't fulfilled that yet, but we've gotten rid of half of the injury, and that's a good start." Business section: Investing ideas Interested in investing in the promise that stem cell therapy holds? For a look at the investing landscape, we compiled a list of the 10 largest companies involved in stem cell therapy. Do … Continue reading →